From the bottom of the previous thread – because it is absolutely essential that everyone recognize …

This is not Munich 1938 and everyone best hear exactly what President Obama and SOS Kerry are stating re: Ukraine

“Ukraine — not the United States or Russia — will determine its own future
Published: April 3

The April 1 editorial “Shut out ” suggested that the Obama administration is working with Russia on Ukraine without the participation and input of the legitimate, interim government of Ukraine. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Secretary of State John F. Kerry has underscored in his meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov the steps Russia must take to deescalate the situation. The administration has been clear that Russia’s occupation of Crimea is illegal, will not be recognized by the international community and must be reversed. That is the approach I hear from the Ukrainian government. We have made no promises beyond that, nor have we engaged in decision-making with Russia over the future of Ukraine. As President Obama emphasized when Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk was in Washington last month, “We want the Ukrainian people to determine their own destiny.” That idea has guided U.S. policy from the first days of this crisis.

The Russian government’s illegal “annexation” of Crimea caused this crisis, and the Russian government’s actions to deescalate tensions will resolve it. It makes sense for Mr. Kerry and Mr. Lavrov to talk. But Mr. Kerry put it best when, after meeting with Mr. Lavrov on Sunday in Paris, he said: “There will be no decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine.” That is how we see it, and we’ve been keeping in touch with the legitimate government in Kiev and the people of Ukraine to ensure that they are the ones who choose their future.

Bob, I can well see Russia, in its arrogance, wanting to negotiate with a bigger power–the US— not with a lower level country, like Ukraine, which they hold in contempt. It must chafe them to have to do this, but it’s going to be the only way to dig themselves out of the hole they put themselves in. As the president pointed out in his speech at the Palais de Beaux Arts, Russia is a “regional power” and this crisis is not a collision between superpowers.

boy, that cowboy hat photo i think was in austin, tx, and was the first time i thought this skinny guy with thw funny name might actually be able to win this thing. starting to seem like a long time ago now. so thankful for OUR PRESIDENT!

Okay, heads up, Ms Wonka! I’m sending you PBO’s children’s story so you can get a signature for me on Thursday. Hopefully you don’t need any more advance notice than this, and THANKS in advance. As my young guest says (whenever she gets or wants something) ‘Thank you. I love you!’

What a busy week coming up! Looks like we will be able to see and hear quite a bit from Our President. Always a good thing.
NBC CBS ABC don’t have prime time available?
Other ways and times to get the message out.

President Obama is indeed working on both aspects: the immediate and the long game. Health care, raising the minimum wage, help to community colleges, all sorts of actions on housing, civil rights, prison sentences, that are going under the radar… President Obama is working hard to enact systemic change, slowly but surely.

am i understanding this correctly – the networks refused to give a sitting president an address to the nation to talk about a historic change in our system that is already helping 10s of millions, yet in the same week give a former, utterly failed in every way, president a forum to boast about his failed paintings, and “interviewed” by his “journalist” daughter who is being paid by the network, despite having no background or accomplishment as an actual journalist? now that’s some liberal media right there, isn’t it?!? (sarcasm)

Posted 6 hrs ago and only 9 retweets — for someone with over 100K followers….RNC needs to take a hint…their guy is DESPERATE! Thankfully his garbage tweets have elicited mostly negative responses from those who did respond.

‘ The US Treasury has granted plane manufacturer Boeing a licence to export certain spare commercial parts to Iran, a company spokesman says.

Boeing has had no public dealings with Tehran since 1979.

In a statement, the US company said the licence had been granted for the safety of flight.

The step is being seen as part of a temporary agreement to ease sanctions on Tehran that US Secretary of State John Kerry reached with Iran last year.

Under the deal brokered in November, Iran agreed to curtail its nuclear activities for six months in exchange for sanctions relief from nations including Britain, China and the US.

US company General Electric said late on Friday it had received US permission to overhaul 18 engines sold to Iran in the late 1970s. That work would be carried out at GE facilities or at German firm MTU Aero Engines, it said.

Iran Air is still flying passenger planes bought before the 1979 hostage crisis, during which 52 Americans were held hostage in Tehran for 444 days. ‘

For signs that construction is on the mend, look no further than the cement industry.

Money being spent to acquire suppliers of building materials worldwide is surging to the highest level since at least May 2008, according to data compiled by Bloomberg….

….“What we’re seeing is a recognition by these companies that the bottom is in and that the recovery is happening,” Todd Vencil, a Richmond, Virginia-based analyst at Sterne Agee Group Inc., said in a phone interview. “Companies are feeling confident enough about that to have the buyers and sellers able to come together now.”….

….In the U.S., construction spending increased 8.7 percent in the 12 months ended in February and 9.4 percent in the period ended in January, the fastest since 2006, data from the Census Bureau compiled by Bloomberg show….

Why is it when I walk into a store looking to buy a gift my eyes always focus on the only item in the group that is double the price of everything else – I always say to myself “quality shows” – but then I think is it that I am just a clueless put on this earth as the shopkeepers dream?